


Anything For A Smile

by gillyandersons



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, because gay reasons, mentions of x files and dana scully
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 23:43:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7594924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillyandersons/pseuds/gillyandersons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin realises there isn't anything she wouldn't do to get Holtzmann to smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything For A Smile

Erin Gilbert sat in the familiar chair, mindlessly flicking through the month old magazine in the waiting area. She was half paying attention to what the gossip rags were spewing, degrading women and asking  _ who wore it best? _ and half thinking about how Holtz's face had dropped when she informed her of her appointment this morning.    
  
Erin sighed and shut the magazine, tapping her foot nervously against the leg of her chair. She felt almost sick to the stomach, and she didn't know why.   


She came to this hair salon every few months for years, she knew the hair dresser well and trusted her. So why was she so damn nervous? And why couldn't she stop thinking about the heartbreak on Jillian Holtzmann's face when she told her she was getting rid of her red hair.    
  
"Nice hair, Gilbert!" Holtzmann has grinned the first time Erin walked into her lab with auburn locks. Erin had blushed and twirled the end of her hair around her finger nervously, and then complained about how the colour on the box was wrong and she hated it. Holtz's perfectly shaped brows had rose so high Erin was afraid they would disappear into the blondes wild hairline. "Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. "You remind me of Scully!"    
  
The comparison in and of itself had been compliment enough for Erin, to be compared to one of the most influential, albeit, fictional, women of all time was amazing. But to hear the compliment come from Jillian Holtzmann, a woman who had  _ three _ separate  _ X-Files _ posters up around her desk and lab, knocked the breath from Erin's lungs.    
  
Holtzmann had always openly flirted with Erin, and the rest of the team. It was just Holtzmann being Holtzmann m, but since the mishap with the bottle of dye, Erin had noticed Holtzmann's flirtatious winks and smiles had more meaning behind them. And the more time Erin spent with the eccentric engineer, the more the blonde filled her thoughts. With every wink or smirk Holtzmann threw her way, butterflies erupted and fluttered around Erin's stomach.    
  
She wasn't quite sure when thoughts about Jillian Holtzmann had overtook her thoughts about Kevin, but somewhere along the line, they had. And Erin wasn't sure she was quite ready to accept what those feelings meant. No matter how nice they felt or how happy they made her feel

Mandy called Erin's name, smiling brightly as she walked toward her.    
  
"So what are we doing today then?" the black haired woman smiled, stepping aside to let Erin have a seat. "You want your colour re-done, right?" she asked as she swung the cape around her.    
  
Erin sat in silence, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The colour had actually been growing on her. It was different, and, like Holtzmann had declared last Tuesday, it did bring out her eyes more.    
  
"Actually no" Erin found herself saying, her mouth having a mind of its own. "I have a much better idea" she smiled, looking at herself in the mirror, tingles spreading all throughout her body as she pictured Holtz's face lighting up when she strolled into her lab later that afternoon.    
__   
**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**   
  
Erin's hair looked even better than she had planned, and she was so happy she had given Mandy double the tip she usually did. Her face had been split into a beaming smile since she left the salon.    
  
Her chest ached in that familiar way it always seemed to do lately when she thought about Holtzmann. Erin couldn't wait to see the other woman's face light up, and it was then, there in that moment, that Erin Gilbert realised there was nothing she wouldn't do to get a smile out of Jillian Holtzmann. The thought of making Holtz happy put a spring in Erin's step, and she found herself picking up her pace back to the office.    
  
Her stomach growled as she passed Abby's favourite pastry shop, and she noticed they had a fresh batch of bear claws in - Holtzmann's favourite. Erin made her way into the shop, the fresh warm scent of dough and pastry filled her nostrils. She ordered two bear claws, one for Abby and one for Holtzmann, and four coffees and made a mental note to pop into the deli on the corner for herself, Patty and Kevin.    
  
The food and drinks in Erin's arms towered so high she struggled to see over them as she made her way back to the office, luckily Patty was downstairs talking to Kevin and rushed to help her as one of the coffees wobbled and almost fell to the floor. Patty took the coffees, handed them to Kevin before taking two brown paper bags from the top of Erin's load.    
  
Patty said nothing, but simply grinned as she took note of Erin's appearance.    
  
"Nice hair" she cocked her brow as Abby walked out of the back room,  as Patty held up her delicious pastry.    
  
"Thanks" Erin blushed shyly in response, looking around the room for the blonde. "Where's Holtzmann?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too desperate.    
  
"She's still working on the upgrade for the proton packs in the lab, hasn't moved all morning" Abby said, her mouth full of bear claw. "HEY HOLTZMA-" she yelled, but was quickly silenced by Patty, as they both watched Erin walk off in the direction of the second floor.    
  
"Ow!" Abby groaned, rubbing her arm where Patty had elbowed her. "What was that for?!"    
  
"Girl, you blind!" Patty shook her head, causing Abby to crinkle her brow in confusion. "Erin and Holtzy" Patty explained, in her best duh! voice.    
  
"Erin and Holtzmann?" Abby repeated, not quite sure what the taller woman was getting at, until, like a ton of bricks, realisation dawned on her. "...  _ ohhhhhhh _ " she nodded, grinning to herself at the thought of her two best friends.  __  


_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx** _

Even from the bottom floor, Erin could hear Holtzmann's stereo blasting. the redhead smiled as she heard the muffled sounds of  _ Hold On  _ by Wilson Phillips emanating from inside the lab. She was halfway up the stairs when she heard the sound of metal clanking together in time with the beat of the song and the hiss of a soldering iron.    
  
One by one, butterflies started doing their rounds of Erin's stomach. Holtzmann was singing along to the radio very loudly and very badly, and Erin could just picture the blonde dancing around the lab. She only hoped this time Holtz would be more careful when it came to anything flame related.    
  
The doors to Holtzmann's lab were glass, and the blonde woman saw Erin coming the moment her head peaked high enough over the stairs. Holtz couldn't contain her smile as Erin got closer, her arms full of coffee and brown lunch bags. The moment Erin was within range, Holtz turned on her heel sharply, drumming on her desk with her screwdriver along to the tune to face Erin, and began singing into the tool (Erin was thankful it wasn't a blowtorch this time!) and dedicating the song to her.    
  
Holtz grinned goofily as she started to dance around the room, twirling around in circles and pointing at Erin every so often. Erin tried, and failed, to suppress her glee at Holtz dedicating the song to her and she hoped that the blush creeping up her cheeks wasn't too visible. It was, of course and Holtzmann noticed it and only got spurred on by it.

  
Erin giggled as Holtz spun, yelling “ _ hold on for one more day! _ ” at the top of her lungs, and tripped over her too-big boots. As the blonde regained her composure she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes growing so wide they looked like they could fall out at any moment.    
  
Erin felt herself shrink under the blondes intense gaze. Holtz dropped her screwdriver to the floor causing a dull thud and tilted her head to the side, still inspecting Erin's appearance.    
  
As Erin placed their lunch on the table, Holtzmann pulled her yellow tinted goggles down to get a better look. She took a step closer to Erin, causing Erin to step back and bump into Holtzmann's desk.    
  
"Your hair" Holtz said, inches away from Erin's face. Erin felt her mouth going dry. She had never been this close to Holtzmann before, never been close enough to admire the light pink tinge of her lips, or the beautiful, ocean blue flecks in her eyes. Erin felt her breath hitch, realising she was close enough to kiss the blonde.    
  
"Mmmhmmm?" was all Erin could muster, unable to form a coherent thought as Holtz's body heat mixed with her own, causing her to break out in a nervous sweat.    
  
"It's not brunette".    
  
Erin just shook her head, feeling the soft red locks brush against her cheek. Holtz grinned brightly as she took a small step back.    
  
"Good" she nodded. "I like it!"    
  
"Y-you do?" Erin asked hopefully as Holtz nodded with such enthusiasm it reminded the physicist of a five year old at Christmas. "Well, good" Erin licked her lips, the warm fuzzy feeling that was building up within her was becoming almost overwhelming. "I'm glad you like it" Erin admitted shyly.    
  
"It's shorter, a lot shorter”.

  
The observation caused Erin to bring a hand up to her short hair and run her fingers through it nervously. In the spur of the moment, Erin had decided to get it cut into a bob, a la Dana Scully. Her hair had never been this short, but right now Erin was so glad she had done it, because Holtzmann's smile was so big and bright it could power New York during a blackout.    
  
Anything would be worth it if it meant seeing Holtzmann smile like that at the end.    
  
"Well, I know how much you love Scully, so..." Erin shrugged it off, like it was nothing. Like she hadn't just done the sweetest thing for Holtzmann ever. She had turned her back for a second to get their coffee, and when she turned back around, she was met with Holtz looking at her with such love and adoration it almost knocked her off balance.    
  
"You mean you did that for me?" Holtz asked, gesturing to Erin's hair as her voice went up several octaves. Erin smiled shyly as she nodded, watching as Holtzmann's light blue eyes well up with tears.    
  
Before Erin had the chance to even process the fact Holtz was crying, the engineer practically threw herself into Erin's arms. The blonde wrapped her arms around Erin's neck and squeezed Erin so tight she gasped for air. Holtz buried her face into Erin's neck, and Erin didn't even care that Holtzmann's overalls were covered in a mixture of oil and excess ectoplasm. She wrapped her arms around the engineer and hugged her tightly.    
  
If this was Erin's only chance to hold the other woman, then she was damn sure going to make the most of it.    
  
Holding Holtz in her arms, the radio still blasting behind them, seemed to put everything in perspective. It was like a switch had been flicked somewhere deep within Erin, and the feelings she was refusing to accept, just seemed clear. She was in love with Jillian Holtzmann, and she didn't even care anymore. She had never felt more safe than she did at this moment, in Holtz's arms.    
  
The blonde pulled away, and Erin instantly missed the warmth and the weight of Holtzmann in her arms. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.    
  
"You really did that for me?" Holtz asked and Erin nodded, more firmly and proudly this time. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me" Holtz smiled and looked down at her bright yellow boots, trying to hide the crimson tinge of her cheeks. Erin's heart soared as she watched the other woman blush. She had never seen this side of Holtzmann, never knew it even existed. She felt privileged to see it, and t only made her feelings for the other woman even stronger. "But... why?"   
  
_ Because you're obsessed with Dana Scully? Because you literally have multiple posters of the X Files all around your office? Because your face lights up whenever you see it? Because i'm in love with you and would go to the ends of the Earth just to see you smile? Because you deserve to be happy?  _ __   
  
As brave as Erin felt, she didn't feel like admitting any of those things. Even if they were the truth.    
  
"Erin?" Holtzmann pressed her. "Why'd you do it?".    
  
"Because I knew it would make you happy, okay?!" Erin blurted before she even realised what she was saying.    
  
"You want to make me happy?" Holtz asked, repeating Erin's statement.   
  
"Yes... no... i don't know" Erin mumbled, unable to look the other woman in the eye.    
  
"I don't need you to cut your hair like Scully or be happy" Holtz admitted, taking a step closer to Erin. She had a feeling the other woman had developed a crush, but the fact Erin cut her hair like Scully,  _ just _ to make her happy, confirmed that feeling.    
  
Holtzmann smiled as she took Erin's hand in her own, linking their fingers together as she took another step toward the woman.    
  
"I just need you" the confession was whispered into Erin's ear, and Holtzmann felt the other woman's breath hitch. That reaction was all Holtzmann needed. She tilted her head and captured Erin's lips between her own.    
  
The kiss was soft and tender and lasted only a few moments before Holtz pulled back. She looked at Erin, trying to gauge her reaction. Holtz had been wrong about girls she liked in the past, and she didn't want to be wrong about Erin. Erin was special, completely different to anyone in the past. Holtzmann wasn't sure she would survive losing Erin, as a lover, friend or a colleague.    
  
But Erin hadn't pushed her away, demanding to know what she was doing, which was a good sign. Instead, Erin wrapped her arms around Holtz's neck, the same way Holtz had done to her just minutes before, and pulled the blonde back flush against her own body. Holtz wrapped her own arms around Erin's small waist as the other woman closed the small gap between their lips.    
  
Kissing Erin felt like pure ecstasy, and Holtz never wanted to come up for air. She's couldn't believe she was actually kissing Erin. A low, almost animalistic growl made its way out of Holtzmann's mouth, and that only seemed to spur Erin on. The redhead squeezed her arms tighter and pulled her even closer, stepping back in time with Holtzmann's steps till she felt the blondes worktop behind her.    
  
Erin felt dizzy, her whole world was spinning, but in a good way. She hadn't woke up this morning expecting to be making out with Holtzmann in the lab, but here she was. Erin pulled away, grinning as Holtzmann groaned in protest. Erin rested her forehead against the blondes and placed a soft, loving kiss on the top of her nose.    
  
"I've wanted to do that since the moment you walked into our basement office all those months ago" Holtzmann smiled, revelling in the fact that Erin giggled and bit her lip upon learning that.    
  
Erin felt somewhat guilty, she hadn't had that immediate romantic attraction to Holtzmann, but she was pretty sure Holtz wasn't going to hold her crush on Kevin against her.    
  
The redhead smirked and placed a chaste kiss on Holtzmann's slightly swollen lips before she swivelled around, still in Holtz's arms, and grabbed their lunch.    
  
"Your coffee is going to be cold".   
  
"I like it cold" Holtz shrugged and leaned in to kiss Erin again, pouting when the other woman dodged her kiss.    
  
"That's all well and good, but I know you Holtzmann. Have you even eaten at all today?".   
  
"Ummmmm-".   
  
"-Jillian!" Erin shrieked, causing Holtzmann to squirm at not i let the use of her first name, but the scalding tone in which Erin said it. "You have to eat, okay? You can't go hours in your lab without food or a break! Especially not now!".    
  
Holtzmann tried not to cry at this, she had never had somebody care for her in the manner Erin had. Sure, Abby had always made sure she ate and took a break, but there would be days where she was too caught up in her own work to eat and take breaks herself. Holtz wanted to protest, despite the fact she'd been making out with Erin for the last five minutes, she actually had to get back to work. Although if Erin wanted to make out some more, Holtz wouldn't protest.    
  
But Erin cared about her so much, and she had gone well out of her way and more just to make her happy. And Holtzmann couldn't deny Erin anything.    
  
Plus that bear claw smelled delicious.    
  
"Okay, okay" Holtzmann held her hands up in defence. "I promise to make time for food and breaks in the future".    
  
"Thank you" Erin smiled with such sincerity Holtz fell even more in love with her. "You want to go downstairs and join the rest of the gang?".    
  
"Can we just stay here for a while?" Holtz asked timidly, she was enjoying her time with Erin and wanted to prolong it for as long as possible. She didn't mind going downstairs and joining everyone else, especially if that's what Erin wanted, but for now she was happy to sit just the two of them.    
  
"No, that's fine" Erin smiled, taking a bite out of her sandwich.    
  
__  
**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

  
They had eaten their lunch in a comfortable silence, stealing glances at the other every few minutes when they thought the other wasn't looking. Holtzmann had never been this happy before, she felt as though the she was about to explode. Once they had finished, they had made out a little more before Erin, the one with more self control out of the two, finally managed to tear herself away from Holtzmann and remind her they both had work to do.    
  
The blonde had pouted and it broke Erin's heart, so she came up with a compromise. She would stay and finish her work in Holtzmann's lab, so long Holtz actually got on with her work.    
  
The compromise had been a brilliant idea, until Holtz realised that she couldn't actually get any work done and kept getting distracted by Erin. Erin blushed but rolled her eyes every time she caught Holtz staring.    
  
Once Erin had finished her paperwork, she grabbed a random book of Holtzmann's and made her way over to the sofa at the other end of the room. Holtz was banging and clanking behind her, grumbling every few minutes as she couldn't get the particular, delicate part of the wiring to work. Erin pulled her feet up onto Holtz's sofa, pulling her knees to her chest and resting the book on the arm of the couch.    
  
The book was about engineering, written by Holtzmann's mentor, Rebecca Gorin, and Erin understood only about 40% of it. But she didn't mind much, she enjoyed reading about Holtzmann's world and learning all this stuff. It honestly amazed her that Holtzmann could be that smart and brave and cooky and beautiful.    
  
Erin was reading for all of five minutes before Holtzmann flung herself on the sofa next to her. Erin was about to remind Holtz that Abby's pack needed finishing as soon as possible, but bit her tongue the moment she saw the blonde.    
  
Holtz looked tired, she had bags under her eyes and was currently yawning. It was only then that Erin noticed it was dark out. She checked the time on her watch. It was late, but not  _ too _ late. But she knew Holtzmann, and she knew that the blonde didn't exactly have a sleeping schedule and often worked through the night.    
  
"Baby, did you sleep at all last night?" Erin asked tentatively, the affectionate term just slipping right off her tongue.    
  
Holtzmann just groaned in response, and Erin took that as a no. Erin sighed, taking Holtz's bright yellow boots off as her feet rested in her lap.    
  
"Jillian Holtzmann, I swear if you don't start looking after yourself..." the threat fell on deaf ears as the blonde just shrugged her off and snuggled down further into the plush couch cushions.    
  
Erin stood up and grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and placed it over the half asleep woman. She placed a soft, warm kiss on Holtz's head, causing the blonde to smile, before she turned to make her way out of the lab.    
  
Holtzmann's hand blindly reached up and grabbed onto Erin's wrist, tugging her back and stopping her from leaving.    
  
"Will you stay, please?" Holtz asked, her voice thick with sleep. She wouldn't ever admit it out loud, but she'd been having trouble sleeping ever since Abby, well,  _ Rowan _ , threw her out the window.    
  
The nightmares were another reason Holtzmann avoided sleep like the plague. But the blonde figured that as long as she had Erin there with her, she was safe and protected.    
  
Erin hummed in agreement, kicking off her shoes and climbing into the empty space Holtzmann had just made by shuffling back.    
  
The second Erin lay down, Holtz draped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Erin hadn't been sleepy, until that moment. Holtzmann was soft and warm and felt like home and within minutes, both Erin and Holtzmann found themselves drifting off into a deep sleep.    
  
_  
**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx** _

  
"It's been hours" Abby pointed out, gesturing toward the clock. "In all the years i've known Holtzmann, she's never been quiet  _ this _ long".      
  
Patty had to agree. She hadn't known Holtzmann as long as Abby had, but in all the time she  _ had _ known her, she hadn't known Holtz's lab to be this quiet for this long. Although Patty wasn't so sure she wanted to know  _ why _ it was so quiet.    
  
"I'm gonna check on them" Abby declared, standing from her desk.    
  
"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Patty asked, following Abby out of the office.    
  
Abby just scoffed in response. She'd known Erin since they were kids, there was no way she would be doing what Patty was implying. Although she wouldn't put it past Holtzmann.

  
But still, after the whole Rowan incident, Abby wasn't taking any chances. Especially not when it came to her two best friends on the planet.    
  
Holtzmann's lab was silent, which did nothing to ease Abby's worry. There was no music, no clanking, no hiss of a blow torch. Nothing. It was dark too, lit up only by a few small lamps placed around the room.    
  
Abby couldn't help but smile proudly when she got to the top of the stairs, two figured under a blanket of the sofa making themselves known. Patty breathed a sigh of relief that a) nether of them were dead or possessed and b) they weren't having sex.    
  
Honestly, she loved Erin and she loved Holtzmann, and she wanted nothing more than for them to be happy, but she could do without seeing them getting freaky beneath the sheets.    
  
"Awwwwww" Abby squealed, her heart melting at the sight before her.    
  
Holtzmann had both her arms wrapped tightly around Erin's waist, Erin had, at some point, turned so she was facing Holtzmann and had her face buried in Holtzmann's neck.    
  
They both looked so happy and calm and in love that Patty quickly excused herself in hopes Abby didn't notice she had teared up. Abby, being unable to resist, took out her phone and snapped several pictures of her best friends before she pulled the blanket back over them and quietly left the lab.    
  
Her heart was swelling with happiness for her friends, if anyone deserved happiness, it was those two. She had watched Holtzmann get her heart broken before, and it had not been a pretty sight. But she'd never seen Holtz, or even Erin for that matter, as happy as they had been lately in all the years she'd known either of them. The thought of her two best friends, the two people she cared most about on the planet, had fallen in love and were happy warmed her to her very core. 

Abby took one last, quick glance at the sleeping pair before she left the room, feeling like the Grinch as her heart swelled three sizes. Maybe she should take Patty's advice and try speed dating!


End file.
